Tuesday, February 20, 2018

THREE IN, THREE TO GO: With one week left in the regular season, there is still plenty for GNAC teams to play for.

Three teams have secured their spots in the GNAC Championships, which takes place March 1-3 in Anchorage. Western Oregon, Western Washington and Saint Martin’s have clinched the top three seeds, but the order has yet to be determined.

The Wolves will clinch their third regular season title in four years and the No. 1 seed in the tournament with one win in their final two games. The Vikings, meanwhile, could earn the No. 1 seed should WOU lose twice. The Westerns will play each other on Thursday night.
Western Washington has assured itself no worse than the No. 2 seed thanks to having been the only team to beat Western Oregon this season. That assures Saint Martin’s the No. 3 as it enters the week at 13-5 in conference play.

Central Washington and Seattle Pacific, tied for fourth with a 10-8 record, will notch GNAC Championships berths with a win in their final two games this week.

Alaska Anchorage is currently in the sixth and final tournament spot with a 9-9 record. Northwest Nazarene and Alaska, both at 8-10, remain in the mix but on the outside looking in. The Seawolves and Nanooks will battle on Tuesday night.

RECORD NIGHT FOR NILES: Central Washington’s Fuquan Niles was a defensive monster on Thursday against Concordia, giving the senior center a spot in the GNAC record book. Niles finished with the fifth double-double in conference men’s basketball history, and the first involving blocks, as he finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. In the process, Niles tied both the GNAC and CWU single-game record for blocks, set by Roby Clyde against Alaska on Jan. 1, 2011. For his efforts, Niles was named the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week.

GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS FINALS TO BE STREAMED ON ESPN3: For the second time in three years, the finals of the GNAC Basketball Championships on Saturday, March 3, have been selected to be streamed on ESPN3 as part of NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase. The men’s final will air at 5:15 p.m. (Alaska time) with the women following at 7:30 p.m. This year’s tournament is being held at the Alaska Airlines Center on the campus of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The GNAC joins the Lone Star Conference as the two conferences to have their tournament finals selected for the webcast. The GNAC Championships final was last aired as part of the showcase in 2016 and was shown on the American Sports Network.

This is also the second set of games this season in which Division II Basketball Showcase has featured the GNAC. A doubleheader at Central Washington featuring the Seattle Pacific women and Western Washington aired on February 1.

GNAC CHAMPIONSHIPS TICKETS ON SALE: Tickets are on sale for the 2018 GNAC Basketball Championships, which take place Mar. 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. Tournament passes for all three days are available for $30 for adults, $18 for students, seniors and youth, while single-game tickets are available for $15 for adults, $9 for students, seniors and youth. Tickets can be purchased online at gnachooptickets.com.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fuquan Niles
Central Washington
C • 6-11 • Sr. • Seattle Wash.

Niles was a defensive force for the Wildcats as he finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 18 blocks in two games. Niles notched the fifth triple-double in GNAC history, and the first involving blocks, against Concordia on Thursday with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks to lead the Wildcats to the 80-76 victory. The 10 blocks tied the CWU and GNAC single-game records. Niles finished just short of another triple-double against Western Oregon on Saturday, finishing with seven points, seven rebounds and eight blocks.

Also Nominated: Jarrett Gray (Concordia), Zharon Richmond (Montana State Billings), Coleman Wooten (Seattle Pacific), Kedar Salam (Simon Fraser), Tanner Onlid (Western Oregon), Deandre Dickson (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska finds itself on the outside looking in on a GNAC Championships berth after dropping both games on the road last week. The Nanooks lost to Simon Fraser on Thursday, 83-51, and to Western Washington on Saturday, 70-60.

• Sophomore forward Michael Kluting led the Nanooks, averaging 11.5 points and six rebounds per game last week. He led UAF with 17 points and seven rebounds against Simon Fraser and added six points and five rebounds against Western Washington. Kluting enters the week averaging 11.7 points per game and is third in the GNAC at 7.7 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard Alex Baham scored 14 of his 16 points for the week at Western Washington, making 5 of 8 from the field. Baham is the Nanooks’ leading scorer, averaging 11.9 points per game, and enters the week ranked 15th in Division II with a .463 three-point percentage. Baham is also third in the GNAC with 2.63 three-pointers made per game.

• Alaska enters the final week of the regular season averaging 70.7 points and 31.7 rebounds per game. The Nanooks continue to rank third in Division II with fewest fouls (349).

• The Nanooks close their 2017-18 home schedule on Tuesday, hosting Alaska Anchorage, before ending the regular season at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage earned a big road split to keep their GNAC Championships hopes alive last week. The Seawolves fell 66-56 to Western Washington on Thursday before scoring a 66-64 win over Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Junior forward Brian Pearson led the Seawolves as he averaged 13.5 points and five rebounds per game over the two contests and shot 54.5 percent from the field. He scored nine points the loss at WWU and then led the way with 18 points and seven rebounds at SFU. Pearson enters the week averaging 6.8 points per game.

• Junior guard Malik Clements added 24 points over the two games, topped by his 14 points at Simon Fraser. Clements is averaging 8.7 points per game in 24 games and 14 starts

• Senior guard DJ Ursery averaged 10.5 points per game last week and led UAA with 11 points at WWU. Ursery is the Seawolves’ leading active scorer, averaging 11.3 points per game.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 62.8 points and 32.9 rebounds. One of the top defensive teams in the league, the Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank seventh in Division II in scoring defense, holding foes to 63.7 points per game. Alaska Anchorage is also second in the GNAC in both field goal defense (.424) and free throw percentage (.737).

• Alaska Anchorage concludes the regular season on the road, playing at Alaska on Tuesday and at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington kept its GNAC Championships hopes alive with a split at home, scoring an 80-76 win over Concordia on Thursday before taking an 89-59 loss to Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Senior center Fuquan Niles was named GNAC Men’s Basketball of the Week for his big defensive effort in the two games. Niles notched the fifth triple-double in GNAC history against Concordia, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks. He tied the CWU and GNAC single-game block record, originally set by CWU’s Roby Clyde in 2011. Niles then added seven points, seven rebounds and eight blocks against Western Oregon. Niles is fourth in the GNAC with 7.6 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is 10th in Division II with 2.28 blocks per game.

• Senior forward Sage Woodruff led the Wildcats offensively, averaging 14.5 points per game in the two contests. He led the Wildcats with 23 points in 32 minutes off the bench against Concordia, which included 7 of 9 from the free throw line. Woodruff then added eight points against Western Oregon. Woodruff enters the week averaging 10.5 points per game.

• Freshman guard Khalil Shabazz also averaged 14.5 points per game. His high for the week came vs. Western Oregon where he led the Wildcats with 20 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals. Shabazz enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with 15.3 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 2.25 steals per game.

• Central Washington enters the week averaging 79.2 points per game and is second in the GNAC with 37.9 rebounds per game. The Wildcats are also second in the league and 30th in Division II with 4.5 blocks per game.

• The Wildcats close the regular season on the road, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia’s losing streak has now extended to 22 games following an 80-76 at Central Washington on Thursday and a 78-68 defeat at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior guard Jarrett Gray led the Cavaliers offensively once again, averaging 14.5 points per game last week. He led CU at Central Washington with 19 points on 7 of 11 from the field and 4 of 6 from three-point range. He then scored 10 points to go with five rebounds at Northwest Nazarene. Gray is fifth in GNAC in scoring at 16.6 points per game and is 18th in Division II with 37:06 minutes per game.

• Senior forward Christopher Edward averaged 13.5 points and 11 rebounds per game over the two contests. Edward finished with his 15th double-double of the season against Central Washington with 18 points and 18 rebounds. He then added nine points and four rebounds at Northwest Nazarene. Edward leads the GNAC and is 17th in Division II with 10.4 rebounds per game. He is also eighth in the GNAC with 15.4 points per game and a .569 field goal percentage. His 15 double-doubles are eighth in Division II.

• Senior guard/forward Bryan Michaels averaged 12.5 points per game against the two games. His week was paced by his 13 points at Central Washington.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 71.4 points and 33.8 rebounds per game.

• The Cavaliers conclude the regular season at home, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets dropped two home games to the Puget Sound schools last week, falling 77-60 to Saint Martin’s on Thursday and 74-60 to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Freshman forward Zharon Richmond averaged 19 points per game and shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range last week. He led all scorers with 24 points against SMU, connecting on 8 of 14 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point range. Richmond then scored 14 points against SPU. Richmond enters the week averaging 10.9 points per game and is fourth in the GNAC with 1.48 blocked shots per game.

• Junior guard/forward Zack Rollins averaged 13.5 points per game. He finished with 15 points against Saint Martin’s and then scored 12 points against Seattle Pacific. Rollins is seventh in the GNAC in scoring at 15.6 points per game. He is 12th in Division II with 215 total three-point attempts and 15th with 87 three-pointers made.

• Freshman guard Kobe Terashima leads the GNAC with 4.34 assists per game. He had eight assists in the last two games, four in each game. He also led all MSUB players in scoring at SPU with 15 points.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 78.2 points and 32.8 rebounds per game. The Yellowjackets are eighth in Division II with 806 three-point attempts and 306 three-pointers made. They lead the GNAC and are 20th in Division II with 10.6 three-pointers made per game.

• The Yellowjackets close their season at home, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The Nighthawks is still in contention for a GNAC Championships berth thanks to a split at home last week, falling 70-67 to Western Oregon on Thursday and beating Concordia 78-68 on Saturday.

• Junior guard Obi Megwa led the Nighthawks’ offense, averaging 18 points per game last week while shooting 60 percent from the field. Megwa finished with 16 points on 7 of 13 from the field to go with six rebounds against WOU and the led all scorers with 20 points on 8 of 12 from the field against Concordia. Megwa enters the week ranks third in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 18 points per game.

• Senior forward Maurice Jones scored 15 points in both games last week. His best overall effort came against Concordia where he connected on 5 of 9 from the field and 5 of 6 from the free throw line to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Jones is second in the GNAC in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

• Sophomore Jayden Bezzant also averaged 15 points per game last week. He came up with 17 of those points against Concordia on 5 of 9 from the field. Bezzant enters the week averaging 13.9 points per game.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 78 points per game and is third in the GNAC with 37.7 rebounds per game. The Nighthawks also fourth in the GNAC with 6.92 steals per game.

• The Nighthawks close the regular season on the road, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s clinched its second consecutive berth to the GNAC Championships last week thanks to an 80-76 overtime win over Seattle Pacific on Tuesday and a 77-60 win at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Junior guard Luke Chavez led the way for the Saints as he averaged 18.5 points per game in the two contests to go along with 11 assists. His numbers were all big against Seattle Pacific as he finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Chavez then quieted down for six points, four rebounds, five assists and three steals at MSUB. Chavez enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC in scoring at 16.3 points per game and is third with 1.92 steals per game.

• Senior forward Matt Dahlen averaged 11 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last week. He finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds against Seattle Pacific and added 10 points against MSUB. Dahlen enters the week averaging 8.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

• Junior guard EJ Boyce leads the GNAC and is 27th in Division II with 3.11 three-pointers made per game. He is also 19th in Division II with a .455 three-point percentage. Boyce went 4 for 10 from the arc last week.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in scoring at 80.2 points per game and is also averaging 34.4 rebounds per game. The Saints lead the GNAC and are 25th in Division II with a .401 three-point percentage.

• At 20 wins, Saint Martin’s has notched just its second 20-win season in the school’s GNAC era (2001-02 to present). The Saints finished 22-8 during the 2008-09 season.

• Saint Martin’s closes the regular season at home, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific secured a sweep in its final regular season road trip, falling 80-76 in overtime to Saint Martin’s on Tuesday before beating Montana State Billings on Saturday, 74-60.

• Junior forward Coleman Wooten paced the SPU offense once again, averaging 24 points and seven rebounds per game in the two contests while shooting 69 percent from the field. he led the Falcons with 22 points against Saint Martin’s, shooting 9 of 12 from the field to go along with seven rebounds and three assists. Wooten then led all scorers with 26 points at MSUB, making 11 of 17 from the field to go along with seven rebounds. Wooten enters the week averaging 11.6 points per game. He is seventh in the GNAC with seven rebounds per game and ninth with a .557 field goal percentage.

• Junior forward Nathan Streufert averaged 12.5 points and seven rebounds per game in the two contests. Most of his production came in a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds against Saint Martin’s. Streufert is averaging 9.6 points per game and is fifth in the GNAC with 7.4 rebounds per game.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week third in the GNAC with 81.6 points per game and is averaging 37.4 rebounds per game. The Falcons are second in the GNAC with a .395 three-point percentage and are third in rebounding defense (32.3 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+5.2) and assists (15.16 per game).

• The Falcons will look to secure their GNAC Championships berth at home, closing the regular season by hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser secured a split in its final home week of the season, scoring an 83-51 victory over Alaska before taking a 66-64 loss to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Senior guard Kedar Salam came up big in the scoring line once again, averaging 24.5 points per game last week while shooting 54.5 percent from the field. Salam went off by 31 points against Alaska on 13 of 21 from the field. He added 18 points against Alaska Anchorage. Salam leads the GNAC in scoring at 19.7 points per game

• Sophomore guard Othniel Spence averaged 14.5 points per game in the two games. He led all scorers in the loss to Alaska Anchorage with 19 points to go with three rebounds, five assists and three steals. Spence enters the week averaging 9.9 points per game.

• The Clan is still looking for one more win in its final two games to match their GNAC-best of 11 wins set in the 2014-15 season.

• Simon Fraser enters the week averaging 72.9 points and 32.3 rebounds per game. The Clan leads the GNAC with a .322 three-point percentage defense and is second with 8.12 steals per game.

• The Clan closes the regular season on the road, playing at Concordia on Thursday and at Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon clinched at least a share of its third regular season championship in the last four years and ran its current win streak to 18 games with a 70-67 win at Northwest Nazarene and an 89-59 win at Central Washington.

• The wins allowed the Wolves to remain at No. 4 in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the D2SIDA Media Poll. Western received one first-place vote in each ranking. Western Oregon also received the No. 1 spot in the first NCAA Division II West Region Rankings of the season.

• Senior guard Ali Faruq-Bey led the Wolves offensively once again, averaging 18 points per game. He scored 12 points in the win at NNU and then led all scorers with 24 points on 9 of 18 from the field and 6 of 11 from three-point range. Faruq-Bey enters the week averaging 11.5 points per game and is shooting 81.1 percent from the free throw line (43-53).

• Senior forward Tanner Omlid averaged 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over the two games. He finished with 16 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists and four blocks against Northwest Nazarene and then added a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds at Central Washington. Omlid is 10th in the GNAC with 6.5 rebounds per game. He leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 2.38 steals per game and is second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 2.04 blocks per game.

• Western Oregon will clinch the GNAC regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championships outright with a win in its final two games.

• The Wolves enter the week leading the GNAC with 84.4 points per game and are averaging 37.5 points per game. Western Oregon also leads the GNAC in scoring margin (+16.8), field goal percentage (.508), field goal defense (.422), assists (17.15 per game) and steals (9.23 per game). The Wolves are fifth in scoring margin and eighth in field goal percentage.

• Western Oregon is home for the regular season finale, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington extended his win streak to five games with a pair of home wins. The Vikings knocked off Alaska Anchorage, 66-56, on Thursday and beat Alaska, 70-60, on Saturday.

• Senior forward Deandre Dickson and sophomore forward Daulton Hommes averaged 16.5 points per game in the two games while Dickson averaged 6.5 rebounds per game. Dickson led all scorers with 17 points on 8 of 12 from the field to go along with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks against UAA. Hommes was the leading scorer against UAF, finishing with 19 points on 6 of 11 from the field.

• Hommes enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 17.9 points per game and is second in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with a .884 free throw percentage. He is also sixth in the GNAC with a .441 three-point percentage and 10th with a .552 field goal percentage.

• Dickson enters the week averaging 14.5 points per game and is ranked eighth in the GNAC at 6.7 rebounds per game. Dickson is also eighth in the GNAC with a .844 free throw percentage and is 28th in Division II with 1.92 blocks per game.

• Junior guard Trey Drechsel is ranked 10th in the GNAC at 14.9 points per game and is sixth with 7.3 rebounds per game. Drechsel is fourth in the league in free throw percentage (.863).

• The Vikings will clinch no less than the No. 2 seed in the GNAC Championships with a win in their final two games.

• Western Washington is second in the GNAC with 84.1 points per game and leads the league with 39.6 rebounds per game. The Vikings also lead the GNAC in free throw percentage (.776), rebounding defense (29.3 allowed per game), rebounding margin (+10.3) and blocked shots (6.23 per game). Western is third in Division II in blocked shots per game, fourth in total blocks (162), fifth in rebounding margin and 13th in free throw percentage.
• The Vikings finish the regular season on the road, playing at Western Oregon on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.